


Light Sleeper

by Hundan



Series: One-Shots Season 3 [11]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Behind the Scenes, F/M, NCIS - Freeform, Season 3 one-shots, Stand alone one shot, TIVA - Freeform, dannis headcannon, of how it should have been
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:14:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26337040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hundan/pseuds/Hundan
Summary: Alternative head cannon for Light Sleeper 03x14. One Shot.
Relationships: Ziva David/Anthony DiNozzo
Series: One-Shots Season 3 [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1730302
Comments: 7
Kudos: 31





	Light Sleeper

He’d stayed because she’d stayed. He doesn’t know why but it’s just something she brings out in him. He makes these rash decisions when it comes to her and he doesn’t know why. But he feels like if she goes down, he will go down with her. He doesn’t think anyone has driven him to be like that before. It was such an uncertainty that he felt inside himself when it came to _her_. It was strange.

He’s had a lot of partners before but none of them had ever been anything like her, none of them he’d bonded so quick with. He doesn’t really know what that means.

He noticed that something in Ziva had shifted this case, like she’d experienced something emotional. He doesn’t think she will want to talk about it but he shows up at her door with a bottle of vodka and some Chinese takeout to show his support. _Because he has his partners back._

She looks a little exhausted and her curly hair is extra messy. He tries not to smile too hard at the sweatpants and ruffled shirt that looked far too big on her. Oh, _and_ the fluffy socks. It looked like she’d just woken from a nap. He liked seeing this side of Ziva, the one that wasn’t dressed all business. The one that seemed like she was just as normal as any other woman. He knows there’s nothing normal about her though, she was different, _good different_.

He holds his peace offering in front of him, explaining why he’s turned up to her place out of the blue at 7pm. She rolls her eyes but he does catch the way her lips twitch slightly, like she wants to smile but she’s trying to hide the fact from him.

He steps into her warm apartment as she opens the door wider for him, welcoming him in. He’d half expected her to shut the door on him when he arrived so when she invites him in, he knows that she did need company after all. That, or maybe his offer of food and vodka was too good to pass up.

He follows her to the lounge where he notices her book on the table and a blanket strewn across the couch. She hadn’t been napping, but she had been trying to relax. He wonders if he’s intruding now and maybe she would like her own peace and quiet. But then again, she had invited him in and not slammed the door.

Neither of them say a word as he sets down the food and vodka, she disappears only for a moment to return with two glass tumblers. He doesn’t think he needs to explain why he’s here, because she probably just _gets it_. Even though their partnership had only been short, they seem to just understand each other without the need to use words. If she doesn’t want to talk about it, that’s okay. He’s simply here to be whatever she needs him to be right now, because that’s what partners do.

She’d probably try and say she was fine anyways if he were to ask, because that’s who she is. She’s Mossad and she’s a badass and she doesn’t need to belittle herself by talking about her feelings. He thinks that’s pretty fucked up, but if he really thinks about it, he’s not that different. Sure, he’s not a badass like her, but he does swallow his feelings.

As much as he loves to talk, that is something he can easily _not_ talk about.

Blame his bruised heart from his mother dying at a young age or his emotionally distant father being his only role model. Who really knows, it just seems easier to keep it to yourself. At least that much he can understand about the woman next to him. He knows his demons probably have nothing compared to the ones in her closet.

He pours them both a drink, who needs a mixer when drinking away your feelings with straight alcohol makes the ride so much easier?

He watches as she takes a long sip of the vodka and sighs, sinking backwards into the couch cushions. She lifts her feet onto the coffee table and he tries really hard not to smile too much at laid back Ziva in her fluffy socks. He knows exactly what he’s buying her for her birthday this year, even if it makes her give him a dead arm from the punch he’ll most likely receive.

He sips at his own vodka before taking out the food and handing her one of the containers. Her fingers graze his in the process and their eyes lock for the first time since she greeted him at the door. A soft smile pulls on her lips, one filled with hidden pain. He smiles back and finds himself running a finger along hers in a pointed motion before they pull apart.

“I got your favourite, moo goo gai pan” he explains and she holds his eyes for a moment. The smile stays but her eyes look softer. Almost like she was going to cry. The sight broke his heart because he wonders if he never came, would she have just stayed pent up in her apartment without support? Probably. He’s glad he came.

“Thank you” she whispers. He’s never been privy to Ziva this quiet before and he wonders how much of her he’s yet to learn about. He knows he plays the fool a lot but he hopes that she sees past that and trusts him. Because he would never break that trust. The same thing that makes him do rash things like hang around a live bomb with her is the same thing that makes him want to care for her when she’s broken.

“And of course, we couldn’t forget the egg roll” he adds, pulling out another item from the bag. He places it on the table in front of her by her fluffy covered tootsies and that’s when a small chuckle slips from her lips. She may not think he pays attention when she talks, but he absolutely does when she mentions things she likes. Because to him, those things are important. _She’s important._

He’s pulling his own food from the bag when he feels her hand touch his leg. He stills and turns to look at the hand. Her thumb rubs a circle on his thigh and he moves his gaze to hers. She’s soft and she’s warm and if there was ever a moment where Ziva was open with him _this_ would be it.

“Really, thank you” she says again, heavier and quieter than before. Those beautiful brown eyes of hers twinkling in the soft light of her living room. He swears they are glistening with tears but he won’t mention it, because he’ll keep her secrets. 

“Don’t mention it” he says with a light shrug. He clings to the feeling of her touch on his leg until her hand slips away. He knows she’s the one that needs comfort tonight but he cannot help but feel _somehow,_ she’s comforting _him_ without even knowing it. The only thing he needs comfort for is knowing that she’s okay. He’s watched her struggle this case and he didn’t realise how much that had affected him.

Strangely, his partner being distressed made _him_ distressed without even knowing it.

It’s not quiet the same with her though, like a lot of things with her its just somehow _different_. McGee and Kate had been distressed in the past, but it never affected him like this. Maybe a little with Kate, but never _this_ much. He wonders why that is and he wonders if he’ll ever truly know the reason behind it.

“Now, do you have any movie channels on this thing or is it just part of your décor?” he asks while he picks up her television remote. She’s laughing at him again and he watches some of the stress lift off her shoulders as he smiles at her. She might not admit it, but he is helping. _Good,_ that’s exactly why he’s here.

* * *

She’s mainly quiet while they watch Monty Python and the Meaning of Life, however she does laugh at the good bits and the ridiculous ones. Her laugh ignites him and he realises when he’s in a fit of laughter it almost causes her to laugh at him laughing. This was nice, why don’t they do this more often?

Half of the bottle of vodka is gone by the end of the movie and all the Chinese takeout is non-existent. Ziva definitely didn’t go easy on the egg rolls, she almost inhaled them all. He’ll make sure to remember that one. Ziva had all but laid down on the couch during the movie and her feet were resting on the side of his thigh. Every time she wriggled her toes the movement against his leg made his heart pull a little strangely.

Especially when she laughed and arched her feet against him.

He really, really wanted to reach out and touch the whole movie but he didn’t know if that would be crossing a line. When the credits roll and some adverts start playing, he decides just to do as his heart wants him to. He places his hand on her sweat pant covered shin and her eyes turn away from the screen and settle on him. He expects rebuttal but her smile is warm with him.

“Tea?” he asks, risking his luck by rubbing her leg with his thumb much like she had earlier.

“Tony, you do not have to” she says sitting up towards him. She doesn’t pull away from his touch.

“I want to” he replies and she stares at him for a long moment, like maybe she’s trying to figure out what hidden agenda is behind his kindness. It pings his heart a little because he wonders how many times people have used hidden agendas just to use her in the past. The longer she stares at him she must realise that there isn’t anything more to his offer, no hidden tricks.

“What happened to Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo the pain in my ass?” she smiles and he chuckles at that. Because she’s right, he knows he can be annoying and a bit of a douche sometimes. But that’s just his mask, it helps him not get hurt.

“I know it’s hard to believe, but I like to be nice to my friends on occasion” he replies. They are friends, right? I mean, he hasn’t known her long but you don’t just show up to your partners place with food and alcohol if you weren’t friends, _right_?

She seems to stare at him and he knows the exact word she’s stuck on. The same one he is. He wonders how many friends Ziva has in her life that are _actually_ true friends. The way the room goes quiet he thinks there aren’t many. Her hand reaches down and touches his one that’s still on her shin. Another soft smile.

“A tea would be nice, thank you” her eyes twinkle. He smiled in return and forced himself to slip from their small entanglement.

“But don’t expect me to be this nice at work tomorrow” he calls out over his shoulder as he heads to the kitchen. He hears her chuckle in return and he can almost feel her eye roll at him from the other side of the apartment.

* * *

He manages to find all her tea brewing ingredients. He’s only been to her apartment a few times and he’s never been through her cupboards. She doesn’t seem to mind him snooping through her kitchen and that makes him curious. Maybe she does see him as a friend too. It wouldn’t be hard considering the life or death experiences they’ve already faced together as partners. Other than this week with the bomb, he did get his face beat to a pulp because he was concerned about her safety while they were undercover.

He still remembers how shocked she was that day when he was willing to risk his life for her. He guesses those life-threatening moments make a bond no one else can really compete with.

He returns with the tea and he finds himself sitting a little closer to her than before. She smiles at him and cuddles her steaming mug to her chest. Her toes are pressing into him again and he feels content that he’s done his job tonight. He’s had his partners back.

“I could not understand how Yoon sacrificed so much for her family this case” she begins quietly. He’s surprised when she starts talking about it because he didn’t expect her to. He thought he’d have a cup of tea and he’d catch a taxi home. Maybe he’d made her feel safe enough to open up to him and he’s glad for that. He won’t take this for granted.

“In Mossad I learnt that being a good spy meant the job came first and family was not as important. Because if you put family first, it would be dangerous” she explains. She’s looking down into her tea and she takes a small sip. Her toes are fiddling against his leg and he finds himself reaching out and placing a comforting hand around her ankle. She looks up in surprise at the touch but her smile is grateful.

“I can not understand it. Because Yoon put her family first and she was happy, and that seemed to be the only thing that mattered. She did not care about what that did to her job” she fidgeted a bit and for a moment he almost missed the fact she was actually trembling slightly. His hand finds a mind of its own when he gently runs a thumb along the arch of her foot, trying to sooth her.

“Hey, it’s okay you don’t have to talk about it” he assures her. She shakes her head at that.

“No, I would like to” she states, drumming her fingers on her mug. “With you” she adds and brings her gaze to him again. The soft, sad smile is there and he wonders if she’s ever opened up this much to anyone before. The way she struggles with it, he guesses not. He nods at her gently before placing his tea down on the coffee table and turning towards her.

“I guess it just makes me wonder if I never learnt about family the right way, because my family was never a good example. My father always put Mossad first and after Tali and my mother died, I never knew anything else” if she wasn’t as strong as he knows she is, he would suspect she’d be in tears at this point. The silence hangs for a long while and he doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t exactly have a good example of family either, not until he joined the Police and found family in another sense.

“It’s never too late to learn about what family should look like” he explains, moving his hand higher up her leg until it rests under her knee. Her eyes look to him in some kind of hope, wanting to understand what he is getting at.

“Sometimes family doesn’t have to be blood, sometimes you become part of a team that makes you understand exactly what family should be” he rubs gently at her leg. He sees the moment in her eyes when she gets it and she closes her eyes and smiles. One of her hands drop from her mug and comes around his wrist, soothing the skin there with a gentle stroke. She opens her eyes again and they settle on him with a great fondness.

“Thank you” she whispers. He cannot remember how many times she’s said that to him tonight, but she doesn’t really have to. It’s no bother for him to just be there for her like this. He gives her leg a gentle squeeze.

“Anything for a friend” he states. There it is again, that word. _Friend._ Her body is no longer trembling and her shoulders relax like he’s lifted some kind of invisible weight from her.

“You know” she states with a lighter jovial tone “I could get used to this Tony” she smiles and he grins back at her. His job was definitely done now. His partner, or should he say _friend_ , was back on her feet.

“Don’t get used to it sweetcheeks” he joked and he loves the laugh that comment draws from her. Maybe, Ziva wasn’t the big badass ninja she holds herself to be. Sure, she was still super badass _and_ a ninja, but deep down she was like anyone else. Trying to find where she fits in the world.

And maybe, her being his partner is one of the places she fits.


End file.
